Keith CoxCO 300 Sec. 9

Argument Essay

Colorado High School Football: What should be done about Anabolic Steroids?

I grew up playing football. I started at the age of six and played until I got to high school.

I was never the biggest kid on the field, not by a long shot. Naturally, as I got older, the players

kept getting bigger and bigger. By the time I was done playing football after my eight grade year

I realized it was not wise for me to stay in the game. I was just too small. I would look at those

high school football players and think that I would not survive. Now, these players are even

bigger. As I went through high school I was still friends with many of my former teammates who

were now playing football in high school. I had heard from them that anabolic steroids were

being used by a handful of the players on the team. Anabolic steroid use has reached high school

football.

We all agree that there is no place for anabolic steroids in high school football. In a time

where the young athletes are still developing it is even more dangerous for them to be using

anabolic steroids. Not only do players who take these substances endanger themselves they also

are putting other players in danger as well. If another player on the field is much stronger than

the rest than there is a chance that he could injure one of the others.

High school football is typically as pure of football as you can get. The players are very

fundamentally sound, they play as hard as they can and they play for the love of the game.

Anabolic steroids taint this purity and are not good for the sport either. It would be devastating

for high school football players if anabolic steroids hit main stream at this level.

As of right now, all CHSAA (Colorado High School Activities Association) has in terms

of steroid prevention in the coaching manual is a one page memo regarding the worry about

Keith CoxCO 300 Sec. 9

Argument Essay

anabolic steroid use in high school athletes and a list of a few of the side effects for coaches to

look for. This is not enough. There is very much that needs to be done here.

High school football coaches in Colorado should educate their players about the use of

anabolic steroids. They should educate them about the dangers of taking anabolic steroids and

reiterate that practicing harder, lifting more, and working harder are the ways to improve

themselves on the field.

The coaches should be the one educating the players not teachers, not administrators; it

needs to be the coaches for a couple of reasons. First, the coaches themselves may not be

educated about anabolic steroids. Football coaches are extremely intense individuals, I know this

from my playing days, and some might actually support the use of anabolic steroids. Second,

they see their players more often than anyone else, including their parents. If they are educated

about the signs of steroid use then they can help. Finally, coaches should educate their players

about anabolic steroid use because they are seen by many players as role models and authority

figures. As a player, if one of your role models told you that steroid use was bad and told you

why, wouldn’t you listen? In addition, if someone told you that you shouldn’t do steroids and

that person controlled whether or not you play, wouldn’t you listen?

The coaches wouldn’t have to come up with the entire curriculum themselves either.

There are many steroid prevention programs already out there. I suggest that CHSAA implement

the ATLAS program.

ATLAS stands for Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids. This program first

focuses on changing the athlete’s attitude toward steroids and then shifts into changing their

workout and nutritional habits as a better way of getting bigger and stronger. In this program

coaches and selected players lead the discussions. There are seven different sessions, each lasting

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Argument Essay

45 minutes. There is minimal preparation needed to implement this program as well. It is

suggested that the team does one session per week on a “soft” practice day. These days are

typically the day after games and usually consist of watching tape or going over plays. So it

wouldn’t cut into much practice time at all. The program emphasizes healthy habits in for their

sports career.

Dr. Linn Goldberg, the developer of the program, intends for the program to be student-

led. The coaches will open and close each session while the players will work together doing a

variety of activities. These include making raps, singing songs, writing newspaper articles and

playing games. "Football players are athletes; they like to compete,” says Dr. Goldberg. For this

reason his program suggests that the team be split up into groups for these activities and compete

with each other. This would cater towards the players competitive juices while also allowing

them another opportunity to bond.

A study was done on thirty-one high schools around Portland, Oregon to test the

effectiveness of this program. 1,500 high school football players were tested. Roughly half of the

players went through the ATLAS program, while the other half were just given brochures that

talked briefly about the dangers of anabolic steroids. These studies showed that athletes who

went through the program knew more about the benefits of exercise and nutrition. They also

were more aware of the negative effects of steroids. These athletes also showed unfavorable

attitudes toward other’s steroid use and showed a lesser intent to use steroids. They also knew

more about proper weight-lifting and strength-conditioning techniques. This shows how effective

this program can be.

The program also has a parent component to it as well. They are given a

nutritional guide and are highly encouraged to help their young athlete get in the best shape

Keith CoxCO 300 Sec. 9

Argument Essay

possible without the use of anabolic steroids. By getting both the coaches and parents involved in

this process, the program allows the two most influential people in the player’s life to play a part

in preventing the use of this nasty product.

I suggest this as opposed to random steroid testing because this is expensive and the

number of high school football players in the state is very large. Texas, Illinois, and New Jersey

now have random steroid testing programs in place for high school athletes. The state of Florida

had one as well but ultimately decided that the $100,000 price tag was too high. Texas is paying

somewhere in the ballpark of $3,000,000 for their program every year. A number of other states

have rejected a testing program.

I love the game of football but when it is pure it is best. If CHSAA implements the

ATLAS program, these high school football players will be much better off. They will know

more about the effects of anabolic steroids and the dangers they bring as well as proper training

and nutritional techniques that can help them be better athletes.